Oh, what fun it was to be rich! To give parties and never count the cost! To buy the most expensive furniture and dresses and food and never think about the bills! How marvelous to be able to send tidy checks to Aunt Pauline and Aunt Eulalie in Charleston, and to Will at Tara! Oh, the jealous fools who said money wasn't everything! How perverse of Rhett to say that it had done nothing for her!
Scarlett issued cards of invitation to all her friends and acquaintances, old and new, even those she did not like. She did not except even Mrs. Merriwether who had been almost rude when she called on her at the National Hotel or Mrs. Elsing who had been cool to frigidness. She invited Mrs. Meade and Mrs. Whiting who she knew disliked her and who she knew would be
embarrassed because they did not have the proper clothes to wear to so elegant a function. For Scarlett's housewarming, or "crush," as it was fashionable to call such evening parties, half-reception, half-ball, was by far the most elaborate affair Atlanta had ever seen.
That night the house and canvas-covered veranda were filled with guests who drank her
champagne punch and ate her patties and creamed oysters and danced to the music of the
orchestra that was carefully screened by a wall of palms and rubber plants. But none of those whom Rhett had termed the "Old Guard" were present except Melanie and Ashley, Aunt Pitty and Uncle Henry, Dr. and Mrs. Meade and Grandpa Merriwether.
Many of the Old Guard had reluctantly decided to attend the "crush." Some had accepted because of Melanie's attitude, others because they felt they owed Rhett a debt for saving their lives and those of their relatives. But, two days before the function, a rumor went about Atlanta that Governor Bullock had been invited. The Old Guard signified their disapproval by a sheaf of cards, regretting their inability to accept Scarlett's kind invitation. And the small group of old friends who did attend took their departure, embarrassed but firm, as soon as the governor entered Scarlett's house.
Scarlett was so bewildered and infuriated at these slights that the party was utterly ruined for her. Her elegant "crush"! She had planned it so lovingly and so few old friends and no old
enemies had been there to see how wonderful it was! After the last guest had gone home at dawn, she would have cried and stormed had she not been afraid that Rhett would roar with laughter, afraid that she would read "I told you so" in his dancing black eyes, even if he did not speak the words. So she swallowed her wrath with poor grace and pretended indifference.
Only to Melanie, the next morning, did she permit herself the luxury of exploding.
"You insulted me, Melly Wilkes, and you made Ashley and the others insult me! You
know they'd have never gone home so soon if you hadn't dragged them. Oh, I saw you! Just when I started to bring Governor Bullock over to present him to you, you ran like a rabbit!"
"I did not believe--I could not believe that he would really be present," answered Melanie unhappily. "Even though everybody said--"
"Everybody? So everybody's been clacking and blabbing about me, have they?" cried Scarlett furiously. "Do you mean to tell me if you'd known the governor was going to be present, you wouldn't have come either?"
"No," said Melanie in a low voice, her eyes on the floor. "Darling, I just wouldn't have come."
"Great balls of fire! So you'd have insulted me like everybody else did!"
"Oh, mercy!" cried Melly, in real distress. "I didn't mean to hurt you. You're my own sister, darling, my own Charlie's widow and I--"
She put a timid hand on Scarlett's arm. But Scarlett flung it off, wishing fervently that she could roar as loudly as Gerald used to roar when in a temper. But Melanie faced her wrath. And as she looked into Scarlett's stormy green eyes, her slight shoulders straightened and a mantle of dignity, strangely at variance with her childish face and figure, fell upon her.
"I'm sorry you're hurt, my dear, but I cannot meet Governor Bullock or any Republican or any Scalawag. I will not meet them, in your house or any other house. No, not even if I have to--
if I have to--"Melanie cast about her for the worst thing she could think of--"Not even if I have to be rude."
"Are you criticizing my friends?"
"No, dear. But they are your friends and not mine."
"Are you criticizing me for having the governor at my house?"
Cornered, Melanie still met Scarlett's eyes unwaveringly.
"Darling, what you do, you always do for a good reason and I love you and trust you and it is not for me to criticize. And I will not permit anyone to criticize you in my hearing. But, oh, Scarlett!" Suddenly words began to bubble out, swift hot words and there was inflexible hate in the low voice. "Can you forget what these people did to us? Can you forget darling Charlie dead and Ashley's health ruined and Twelve Oaks burned? Oh, Scarlett, you can't forget that terrible man you shot with your mother's sewing box in his hands! You can't forget Sherman's men at Tara and how they even stole our underwear! And tried to burn the place down and actually handled my father's sword! Oh, Scarlett, it was these same people who robbed us and tortured us and left us to starve that you invited to your party! The same people who have set the darkies up to lord it over us, who are robbing us and keeping out men from voting! I can't forget. I won't forget. I won't let my Beau forget and I'll teach my grandchildren to hate these people--and my grandchildren's grandchildren if God lets me live that long! Scarlett, how can you forget?"